Pick your TDF faves maye your predictions...

[golgiaparatus]

1. Vino
2. Valverde
3. Levi

Those are my likely winners. However I predict Vino has a reall bad day on one of the mts stages and someone takes it from him. I also predict Valverde cant get motivated and that levi doesnt attack when he has the chance... Thus we will have us a little TDF upset.

My crazy but longshot hopeful is The Z Man for the podium. I'd love to see him Destroy in the TT and then just hang on for the climbs.

[OGRipper]

That's a pretty good top 3 there, and I think you are probably right about Levi. He needs to be more aggressive. Being able to hang with the best is not enough - he needs to ride away.

For the dark horse podium place I'm looking at the younger Schleck.

[Westy]

I was proud of Levi last year. He did attack when given the chance but never had the legs to finish it off. I see big things from Shleck too. I would like to see Thor Hushovd with the green Jersey in Paris.

[splat]

I'm going to say Vino ( again! )

[golgiaparatus]

I was proud of Levi last year. He did attack when given the chance but never had the legs to finish it off. I see big things from Shleck too. I would like to see Thor Hushovd with the green Jersey in Paris.

Last year Levi's team didnt have his back. This year is different. He has a very good team to help him up the mtns and to pressure the peleton. I don't know... I'm going to be pulling for him regardless.

I'd vote Schleck for the polka dot... hit ITT's arent good enough to compete with Vino or Levi.

[jacksonpt]

I don't even know who's riding anymore... *sigh*

[Westy]

Last year Levi's team didnt have his back. This year is different. He has a very good team to help him up the mtns and to pressure the peleton. I don't know... I'm going to be pulling for him regardless.

I'd vote Schleck for the polka dot... hit ITT's arent good enough to compete with Vino or Levi.


I don't think Schlek will be fighting for the Polka Dots. CSC loves stage wins, I'd guess he will just attack on some big mountain days for a stage win. We will have to see how CSC does this year without Riis there calling the shots.

[golgiaparatus]

I don't think Schlek will be fighting for the Polka Dots. CSC loves stage wins, I'd guess he will just attack on some big mountain days for a stage win. We will have to see how CSC does this year without Riis there calling the shots.

I'm sure he'll be calling the shots... he just wont be on site.

[Jeremy R]

We will have to see how CSC does this year without Riis there giving the shots.

Fixed.

[golgiaparatus]

Fixed.

BAHAHAHA!!!!

BTW I forgot to mention Moreau. I'd put him about even with Levi... maybe better, he just doesnt have the team to back him.

[OGRipper]

What, nobody taking Peirero?

:monkeydance:

[DRB]

too early to say.... I have a feeling that the UCI is going to swoop in tomorrow on the favorites busting them all after they've signed the agreement.

[GravityFreakTJ]

i'm with DRB. i'm waitin to see who gets booted at the last minute

[Heidi]

Moreau!

[Westy]

1. Vino
2. Valverde
3. Levi

Those are my likely winners. However I predict Vino has a reall bad day on one of the mts stages and someone takes it from him. I also predict Valverde cant get motivated and that levi doesnt attack when he has the chance... Thus we will have us a little TDF upset.

My crazy but longshot hopeful is The Z Man for the podium. I'd love to see him Destroy in the TT and then just hang on for the climbs.


I think Dave Z will be an overall contender in a couple of years.

[golgiaparatus]

I think Dave Z will be an overall contender in a couple of years.

I think its possible... he seems to be really working on his climbing... he may never beat the climbing specialists up the mountains, but I bet he can win Indurian style.

I'd like to see him show really try to show his stuff in the mtns this year.

[Heidi]

I'm going to add Valverde to my Moreau pick. Also, I'll call out Horner to win a stage. DO IT!

[erastusboy]

anywhere I can get a streaming video of the tour?

[LoboDelFuego]

Versus says they will offer streaming coverage of the first stage tomorrow, but they don't seem to be covering the prologue. American coverage is a disgrace, in my area ESPN has nascar on both channels and SportsCenter mentioned: "Over in France they are doing time trials but let's move a little off the continent and talk about Wimbledon." Good job reading your briefing.

[blue]

I think Dave Z will be an overall contender in a couple of years.

He's gonna ****ing kill it, in fact, he just took third in the Prologue...

[James]

He's gonna ****ing kill it, in fact, he just took third in the Prologue...

If by third you mean eleventh, then yeah!
No, I'm all for Dave holding on in the mountains, he did pretty good in that last race, but remember there are two mountain ranges this time around.
I think I was most impressed with Klöden this stage, if he keeps this up, there could be an upset in the leadership. I think he could have won a couple of years ago if the team management would have taken their heads out of their asses and accepted that Ulle wasn't going to be able to hang on, and put the team's support behind Klodie.
C'est la vie I suppose.
It's going to be a fantastic tour this year though, I'm super stoked on it!

[blue]

Weird. I'd seen a report earlier that said he'd taken third.

Anyway...

[LoboDelFuego]

When you posted "he just took third," you were right, but there were still about 60 racers to go, I think.

[James]

When you posted "he just took third," you were right, but there were still about 60 racers to go, I think.

I'm sure that's it. There was quite a bit of turnover as the race went on.
I was rooting for Millar for this win, but he just didn't have it in him, Fabian was just a man possessed to quote Mr. Liggett...

[SPINTECK]

Vino- i picked him last year too. the only thing keeping him down will be the link to Dr. Ferrar and the Kaza medics mess up the masking treatment.

I'd love to see a long shot like Voekler or Millar take it. Mabye Cadel will pull it off this year if Vino faulters.

[golgiaparatus]

If by third you mean eleventh, then yeah!

LOL!!

[SPINTECK]

DAve Z said he's working for Sastre, but the Yellow jersey kicked ass today.

Zabriskie ‘here to work'
Dave Zabriskie is surprised why everyone else seems surprised that he lost 2:27 at the end of stage one from London to Canterbury.

The U.S. time trial champion explains he didn't crash or suffer a mechanical - he simply rode in a little off the back to avoid trouble.

"To set the record straight - I am not here for the GC," Zabriskie told VeloNews. "I don't know why people haven't realized that. If I soft pedal for the last few kilometers to save my legs to help Carlos Sastre later in the mountains, that's because I am here to work for the team."

Zabriskie was looking for a sweet spot near the back of the peloton to avoid Monday's horrific finish-line crash into Ghent.

"I am tranquilo," he said. "I wish everyone else would relax a little bit."

The Utah native has done his fair share of work to help keep team captain Fabian Cancellara safely in the yellow jersey since Sunday.

"We'll keep (the jersey) as long as we can," he said. "We're happy with how the first couple of days have gone."

Zabriskie joked when asked by Danish TV journalists if he was going to re-up with Team CSC when his contract ends at the end of his season: "I'd prefer to retire in the Bahamas or maybe become a forest ranger."





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[SPINTECK]

The question is:

Is Kloden going to work for Vino or will things shake out differently?

[James]

The question is:

Is Kloden going to work for Vino or will things shake out differently?
I don't think we'll know until we hit the mountains. Then I think we'll see who the Astana leader is.
Remember Vino when he was on T-Mobile? He'd break away in the mountains, and his own damned team would chase him down! Both of them can climb, but can Vino control his breakaways? I hope not, they were great to see...

[SPINTECK]

Yeah- vino's breaks are amazing, especially for a little guy. I was actually on my honeymoon in italy/france in 2005 (i had to look at my ring for that year, is that bad?) and saw vino's break into Briancon. I think that was the same year he won the final stage, which is like doing 40mph all by yourself on the Chauntes de whatever.

[James]

Yeah- vino's breaks are amazing, especially for a little guy. I was actually on my honeymoon in italy/france in 2005 (i had to look at my ring for that year, is that bad?) and saw vino's break into Briancon. I think that was the same year he won the final stage, which is like doing 40mph all by yourself on the Chauntes de whatever.
Where he nipped Levi on the last stage to vault into 5th place? F'n great. All of the sprinters are looking at each other, who's gonna go? And bam, with like a kilometer left Vino jumps, and is gone.
That's balls. If he rides as the leader like that, it'll be a return to a bygone era, where people rode from their hearts, not radios.
I like DiLuca because he rode most of the Giro without his radio. He took it out and rode how he wanted to ride.
I would *love* to see radios and in-car TVs banned from racing, it'd spice things up so damned much. The yellow guys on motorbikes are fine, but the way it is now the DS's are playing a video game with real people, it's not "real" racing...

Rant off...:)

James

[SPINTECK]

Then you probably loved today's stage- I know I did. You can't tell me CSC told Fabien to go for it on the cobbles- I think he did it on his own and I would love to have seen his wattage. Well, maybe not because I don't what to know a human can generate that much power after 6-8 hours in the saddle. This should be a great Tour.

[James]

Then you probably loved today's stage- I know I did. You can't tell me CSC told Fabien to go for it on the cobbles- I think he did it on his own and I would love to have seen his wattage. Well, maybe not because I don't what to know a human can generate that much power after 6-8 hours in the saddle. This should be a great Tour.

I was reading the live updates on VN and CN, can't wait to watch it tonight.
Sounds like an amazingly boring stage, except for the end. That was the power of the yellow jersey right there.
I'm still rooting for Zabel to end up in green...

[SPINTECK]

I read that he caused yesterday's crash..??? He's lucky the rest of guys in the Peloton doesn't kill him.

[James]

I read that he caused yesterday's crash..??? He's lucky the rest of guys in the Peloton doesn't kill him.

He's been around too long for anyone to get too mad at him.

[Jeremy R]

A little bump for the Dave Z pickers.
We got some real pit steelers around here.:rofl:

170 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC

[Westy]

Dave is going out of his way to be last place. He actually better watch that he doesn't get the boot for taking too long on a stage.

[GravityFreakTJ]

i don't think he watched closely enough